


What Went Wrong

by Anonymous6285



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Homesickness, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Insomnia, Sharing a Bed, Short & Sweet, Touchy-Feely, Touring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:00:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26120791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous6285/pseuds/Anonymous6285
Summary: Ringo wakes up one night on tour, and something is bothering George. He's too nice a person to just ignore it.
Relationships: George Harrison & Ringo Starr
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	What Went Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second of my fics based on a Billy Joel lyric:
> 
> "Captain Jack will get you by tonight,  
> "Just a little push, and you'll be smiling"

Ringo’s eyes slowly opened when he heard little sniffles across the room. Considering the fact that it was the middle of the night concerned him just a bit, but then he remembered that he had been sharing it with George.

Sometimes, he forgot they were so far away from home for so many months. And once he got past the fact that he was hearing the guitarist and not one of his kids or wife, he suddenly realised that the younger man was crying, and that definitely wasn’t something he usually did.

He sat up in the bed, and his hand reached over to click on the light next to the clock. When he trailed his eyes over to the wall, he saw his friend staring at him like a kid that just got caught with a broken vase.

“George?” His voice was still rough with sleep, scaring both of them just a bit. “What are you doing, love?” He didn’t seem too concerned with the fact that it was the middle of the night or that they had to be up early. He was just worried about what could possibly have been wrong.

“Oh, it’s n-nothin-- I’m sorry to wake you.” Another loud sniffle came, and Ringo just stared at him skeptically. “Really, Richie. I’m f-fine.” The drummer checked the clock again, already having forgotten the time it had read a second before.

“What’s going on? I’ve never seen you so upset before.” George mumbled something, hiding his face in his knees and wheezing softly. “Why don’t you come over to my bed, okay?” Maybe he was scared of the dark or something…

“I told you I’m fine… I’ve just gotta get through the night, and I’ll be fine.” He looked back up to see if Ringo had given up on trying to talk to him, and there was just enough light in the room for the drummer to see more tears rolling down his face and falling onto his pyjama shirt. “Please! I promise I’ll be fine!”

That was the final straw before Ringo got up from the bed and started on his way over to George, only making the man shake in trepidation. 

“No, Richie, please!” He just wasn’t enough to convince his friend that he would really be okay, and before he even knew it, there was a warm body sliding down the wall next to him. “Rich…” he whispered sadly, but Ringo only took his hand and started to rub it gently.

“Georgie, talk to me, yeah? You’re crying, love. I haven’t seen you cry since… Stuart…” As much as it pained them both for him to bring it up, it seemed rather important in the situation they were in. Something had to have been seriously wrong.

George whined, and pulled himself closer to Ringo. So close that he could smell the dry sweat from the unwashed pyjamas he had on. “Everything’s okay. It’s just… it’s a lot.” Ringo didn’t say anything as the guitarist started to sob, burying his face in the older man’s chest. “Everything has become so heavy, y’know?” Ringo hummed. “I really didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s no problem at all,” he soothed.

“It’s just… It’s really hard to sleep all alone. I miss Pattie. I miss being at home.” He sobbed louder, and the tears started to seep into Ringo’s shirt. “And all those girls, they don’t help none. They think we’ve got the perfect life. If this is all perfect is cut out to be, I pity the rest of it.”

“Aw, sweetheart, you don’t have to listen to them. Sometimes, they forget that we’ve all got our issues.” He hummed a bit, rubbing George’s back in his best calming way. “We’ll be home before you even know it, though, yeah?”

“I h-hope so.” A few deep breaths escaped Ringo, and George just got a little closer, letting them calm him down. “I’m glad you’re here. God, I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have you.”

Ringo just chuckled. “Do you think sleeping in my bed might help, then?” When George didn’t say anything after a few seconds, the man got worried, immediately jumping to defend himself. “You know, j-just because you said it was hard to sleep alone.” Still, he said nothing. “S-sorry, I just thought-- sorry. I mean, I guess I’m no Pattie. I’ll just… let me help you into your bed--”

“Rich…” Ringo glanced down to see George staring him right in the eye with the softest smile in the world. “I-I’d love to share a bed. Don’t look so worried.”

“O-oh, okay.” He exhaled nervously. “Right. Well, let’s get back to bed, then. Brian wants us up early.”

“Fuck… okay, yeah. Let’s try to get some sleep.” He stood up slowly, and Ringo followed him over to the bed. “You sure I won’t be bothering you?”

“Love, I don’t care if you bother me. As long as it helps, okay?”

“That’s not very reassuring.” His gaze fell to the floor, but Ringo was quick to pull him into the bed, anyway.

“You could never bother me, Georgie.” He laid down onto his pillow, smiling at the guitarist. “Hey, if you wake up again, don’t hesitate to wake me, too. If you need to talk or anything.”

“Alright. Thanks.” He, too, laid down, already closing his eyes. “See you in the morning.”

“Goodnight.”


End file.
